A Matter of View
by PhaedonShadow
Summary: When the fate of a man is at the mercy of others. Little did they know Mina would be blaming Darien in this lifetime as Venus had Serenity.


A Matter of View.

When the fate of a man is at the mercy of others—an insight of why Endymion is King, and the rare occasions when women isn't always right. Between Mina, Kunzite and a meddler name Darien. Little did they know Mina would be blaming Darien in this lifetime as Venus had blamed Serenity in the previous.

all characters belong to Naoko :) a huge part of the story does not belong to me, but to all the awesome fanfic writers whose work I've read for many many years!

* * *

><p><em><span>Friday evening.<span>_

Mina was staring out her window.

The sun was setting, leaving the sky a bright purple and orange hue that she loves so much. In her past life, her heart would have been racing at this hour as she looked forward to spend the night with him on the blue planet. The ever feared Venus would run over security checks in her head over and over again while perfecting her already flawless looks in the mirror.

It was the lunar New Year when they met. Until today, she blamed Serenity for it. A name, to her opinion, was unbefitting of the girl she truly was. Serenity has caused havoc among her guardians when she was no where to be found hours before her supposed appearance at the annual royal ball. They were even more mortified when Mars has found her signature energy being on Earth, the one place any of them was never supposed to be.

Venus had gone to retrieved her. Flooded with anger, frustration, fear and worry all at the same time she has found Serenity in a garden filled with flowers unknown to her, content in the arms of a man. Even standing at a distance, the Maiden of Love immediately recognized the looks in her eyes. She was deeply in love. _How? How did this bypass me? How many times has Serenity been here without any of us even realizing she was gone? How long have they been seeing each other? Who is he? What if he meant her harm? What if she was made captive for a ransom from the kingdom? What if…_

"She is safe."

As she spun around to face the stranger that was among the fewest who's been able to catch her off guard, she was stunt, dumbfounded, and silenced. _A stranger…_no. She may not know his name, or may have heard his low, toned, soothing voice for the first time, but she has seen his face in her dreams every night ever since her soul mate has been revealed to her. And now, as if her dreams had come to life, this tall, handsome, if not beautiful man with soft silver hair that reached his shoulders is leaning casually to a tree with his arms crossed, and standing right in front of her. His eyes… his grey eyes was all she needed to see to tell her he meant her no harm, he meant her princess no harm, and he had been keeping her princess safe for the numerous times she'd probably been here without their knowledge.

But she had made her choices long before she knew of his existence. She had chosen duty over love. The only thing she could do to hold herself together was to offer him a smile. Few words were exchanged, and the moment was short lived. Time was running out, and Serenity must return before anyone else realized she was gone. That night, the guardians had a long _discussion_ with their princess and Venus came to the verdict. If Serenity would not yield to stop seeing this 'Prince Endymion', she must inform them whenever she make these rendezvous and will not leave without a chaperon. No more sneaking around behind their backs. In return, she gets a full, uninterrupted hour before she is to return to the moon. Serenity was an adolescent child in love, and they rather keep her safe than to keep to the law. To keep matters discreet, the guardians chaperon Serenity themselves, taking turns and covering up for each other when their absence is questioned. Before they know it, the one-hour rule has stretched longer and longer.

Mina smiled as she remembered the story fate has written for Kunzite and Venus. Little did Venus know at that time fate has also written stories for the other guardians and their respective generals. How careless was Venus to overestimate the ever fiery Mars, the cool minded Mercury, and the strong hearted Jupiter to resist the temptation of man, and to underestimate herself as the only guardian who in the end chose love, and was having an affair with a man from the forbidden planet besides her princess.

Yes, those were wonderful days. It was the times of castles, ballroom dances and dresses, of princesses, and knights in shining armors. For many, it must have sounded like a fairytale dream they would have never wanted to wake up from. For Mina, it was a fearful nightmare she relived every night.

'_If only I knew then what I know now,'_

The sun has finally set in and takes his rest, and the moon rose to the sky, full and bright in what seems to be a cloudless night. In any city like this, the nightlife begins. Offices are closing for business and lights begin to emanate from the square windows of apartment homes. Cars lined up at every traffic light junction, restaurants are serving dinner, bars are switching on their neon lights, and in a few hours people would start lining up in front the clubs on a Friday night. Everyone seems to be heading somewhere. Tonight, Mina has somewhere to go.

'_What if I did? What would I change? Isn't the past already written in stone? But I can change the present, can't I? I can change our future…I can change his.'_

Mina turned away from the window and looked at the two bedroom apartment that she now owned. It was bright and full of color, but the kindest word to describe its current condition would be _unorganized_. Artemis has nagged her about it more often than not, and in two occasions has transformed into his human form just to clean up after her. But the mess did not bother her. _Nothing in life is ever organized anyway_. And if organizing meant it was easier to retrieve things, she didn't need it. Mina knew her own mess well. She knew her history textbook was stacked under the Cleo December 2011 edition magazine next to the bathroom door, the pink bra she wore two Wednesdays ago was under her Levis jeans that she wore on a Friday and was currently under the sofa cushion because she had a surprise guest last Sunday and had to stuff them there, and she knew her January phone bill was below her electricity bills, that was below two letters from the University for summiting her assignments late, which was currently in the basket next to the coffee table on Sunday's ,Wednesday's, and Friday' newspaper in order. Like Venus, Mina is always acutely aware of her surroundings though she seems careless on the surface. It was what made her a brilliant strategist.

Tonight, Mina has something to do.

She closed the curtains to her apartment and locked the front door. Artemis would not be home tonight. She walked to the centre of the living room, stretch out her right hand to the air and call upon the power of Venus. As golden lights enveloped her body, Mina closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was standing in the halls of the long forgotten Magellan Castle.

Magellan was deserted but yet as if it was alive, she felt it call out to her. She could hear her own footsteps on the marble floors echoing back through the long corridors. She could feel the soft breeze and the coarse speckles of sand blowing on her skin. And, the sight was overwhelming. Tall, intricate hand carved pillar stretching for miles, supporting the arched and dome shaped ceilings with beautiful crystal chandeliers hanging in the centre where soldiers used to stand guard, marbled fountains carved with angels and cherubs where maidens used to gather and gossip about men, an open air court where people and musicians used to filled the floors dancing, and tall full length reflective walls where the ladies used to adore their own reflection. It seemed like age has never touched this place, and everything was just like what she remembered it used to be. As she stood in front of the mirrored wall and run her fingers through her own reflection, she did not see Mina. She saw Venus. As if the planet of Venus welcomes her queen, all the chandeliers lighted up.

* * *

><p><em><span>Thursday afternoon<span>_

"Look out!"

Mina was running late again. And to keep herself awake after 36 hours of report writing, she was currently holding her iced caramel latte in one hand and using her history report as a sun shield in the other while running off to campus on a hot Thursday afternoon. She needed to drop off her assignment first, and then off to Raye's.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the pavement, wearing her latte and without thinking has used her history report to wipe them off.

"Are you alright?"

As she looked up to the offending stranger who appeared out of nowhere, which most probably she had run into in the first place instead of the other way around, she was stunt, dumbfounded, and silenced._ A stranger…_no_. _She may not know his name now, or may have heard his low, toned, soothing voice for the first time in this life, but she has seen his face in her dreams every night ever since her soul mate has been revealed to her.

_Kunzite._

His strong handsome features remain unchanged. He was everything as she had remembered. He no longer wears his soft silver hair long. It was now crop short, as what men in the military would have. He was frowning, his grey eyes genuinely showing concern.

"I deeply apologize. I wasn't looking." He kneeled down to help her up and he paused for a moment, as if to study the extent of the damage he has done to Mina's shirt. "I'm Kevin Burkes. Can I at least replace your coffee?"

Mina's heart could have stopped. Here and then, she could rewrite their story. They could have a new start over coffee. Never in her dreams would she think they would be given a second chance at meeting. She could also… "I… I need to reprint my shirt." Mina stood up, unsure of what she was babbling about and started towards the direction she came from. She stopped half a block away and turned around to see Kevin Burkes still standing on the spot, smiling and giving her a friendly wave. _Kunzite has never smiled like that_. Mina walked away.

_Thursday evening_

His name was Kevin Burkes. That was all the information she needed to google him up for the rest of the day. Her coffee stained report was still next to her, and Raye has left at least 15 messages in her voicemail. Being born into the Burkes family was like a wish come true. A loving set of wealthy parents, being surrounded by brothers as tight as a mafia clan, and a beautiful adorable sister to protect. They were your ordinary extremely wealthy family with extraordinary family bonding. No one could ask for more. Though Kevin Burkes himself was a successful architect he was always described as a humble man. Mina couldn't help but compared him to Kunzite and the similarities were striking. No matter how much Kunzite had wanted to stay in the shadows, noticing a man like him cannot be help. No matter how humble Kevin Burkes was, he couldn't have avoided being in Forbes Top 100 most eligible bachelor. Kevin Burkes would not be a bachelor for long. There were already rumors and captions of him smiling lovingly at a dazzling blond and blue eyed creature named Emily Akins.

There were also striking differences between Kunzite and Kevin Burkes. Kevin was not haunted by the past of what Kunzite was. Kunzite was a powerful man. He was a soldier. A man who had lost his love ones at a tender age and was forced to pick up a sword to defend for his own life there and then. Kunzite had killed man after man in the name of war ever since. He had long convinced himself that his actions were righteous and necessary. Often when Venus had asked if he had ever seen an enemy in the battlefield as a person, who was somebody's husband, somebody's father or somebody's son, who was waiting for them to come home, Kunzite has retorted that by killing the enemy, he has protected a mother, a daughter and a wife to somebody in his kingdom. Venus knew him better than what he appeared to be on the surface. Often, he kept people at a distance from his heart. He watched them, but was never attached. She knew that he often thought about those who had died out of 'necessity'. Sometimes, Kunzite would toss in his sleep, haunted by his own blood soaked hands, holding on to those he had already lost. While those he cared about were only a handful, those who truly understand the burden he carries everyday was even fewer. Kunzite was broken. But in his brokenness, he was in every sense beautiful. He was strong, loyal, trustworthy, humane, and down to earth.

Kevin Burkes was happy. He appeared to be truly happy. He has no memory of whom or what Kunzite was, and that was all Mina needed to know. But even meeting Kunzite in this life did not spare Mina from reliving her past all over again in her slumber.

"_Love, they say a goddess' prayers are always answered."_

"_Mm."_

_Venus smiled as Kunzite mumbled sleepily into her hair behind her. This was a part of Kunzite reserved only for Venus. She pressed her back into Kunzite's embrace as he pulled her in closer. She felt his steady breath at the back of her ear. Venus entwined her fingers around his. _

"_If you could change anything in your life, what would you change?" _

"_Nothing, love." was Kunzite's typical few words reply._

"_I would want to change a lot of things." She paused for awhile, as if waiting for his cue to ask her what was the things she wanted to change. When he remained silent, she continued,_

"_I wished you had the time to know your parents better." her voice dropping into almost a whisper. "I wished your childhood weren't taken away from you so soon, that you would have had brothers or sisters to play hide and seek. I wished you didn't know war. Then maybe you would smile more. I wish you happiness."_

_Only Venus discussed his past. She was among the very few who was privileged enough to know. They never had the courage to discuss the future. The present held too many secrets. So, they have always talked about the past._

_Kunzite had laughed at that. He joked at how she was sleeping with the wrong man, and he was probably everything she wished he wasn't. He kissed her bare shoulders and held her tighter. Suddenly, his voice dropped a tone, one reserved for serious conversations, "Elysian is my home. My duty is my parents. Endy, Jade, Neph and Zoi are my brothers. You, Venus, are my family and my happiness." He brought his face closer behind her ears and whispers, "I would rather you wish to join me here on earth by my side. Then you can stay with me forever."_

_Venus turned and glared at him. Their differences that have made their relationship socially unacceptable had been the cause of argument on numerous occasions. Tonight, she did not feel like fighting and she has warned him beforehand. _

_He smiled, and kissed the tip of her nose and pressed his forehead to hers. "But what more can a mortal man asks for when he already has the Goddess of Love herself. "_

_That did it for her. She looked into his grey eyes lovingly. Running her fingers through his long pale strands of hair that he knew she loved so much, she kissed him. He was her soulmate. They were made for each other. But why were things so impossible for them? Only a few more moments to dawn, and she would have to leave, like always._

That night, Mina woke up crying her heart out.

* * *

><p><em><span>Friday morning<span>_

A slow walk to Raye's the next morning gave her time to clear her head a little.

There and then, Mina could never have hated the day she met Artemis more. He has found her first. Artemis chose to open the floodgates to all of Mina's memory. He could have chosen not to, but he needed her memory fully restored. They needed her help, her leadership. It had pained her, and almost drove her insane. Some days, she was unsure whether she was Venus or Mina, or if she was on the moon or in her classrooms. Most days, she was having an identity crisis of whether to be just Mina or more like Venus. Every day, she thought of _him_.

She chose to spare her sisters the pain she felt, and only told them what was necessary, just enough for them to call upon their powers and remember their cause to protect the Princess with their life, nothing more. How Darien's pocket watch broke and started moving backwards restoring most of Serena's memory was beyond her control. Raye's fire never lied. _Not that she needed it._ Raye was profoundly insightful. She was after all, the all knowing Mars. And, Amy's capability to deduced information and come to conclusions was indisputable. Lita, well, Lita remembers the least. She had spent so much time around Nephrite that when she didn't remember him, she has also forgotten most of Jupiter. Lita's strange obsession with comparing every man to an 'ex boyfriend' that they know did not existed, _at least not in this lifetime_ was the only allusion of her memory of him. The realization soon dawn upon them that there were more to remember. Every now and then, bits and pieces of memory will return. Raye had suspected that Mina knew more than what she was willing to share, but never questioned her. The time will come when they will fully remember their past, but not now. For now, what Mina could offer her sisters, was a peaceful night's sleep that she had longed for.

Her mind drifted back to a Kevin Burkes.

_They say a goddess' prayers are always answered._

She liked the fact that Kevin has no memory of the past at all.

Though it meant he had forgotten Endymion, the band of brothers who would die for each other, and an ancient love, if also meant forgetting a broken childhood, the wars, the bloodshed he has seen, and Beryl. It meant those countless sleepless nights was gone. _Kunzite would have wanted it_. If this is what it takes for him to be happy, so be it.

She would do anything to secure that. She would continue her duty to protect Serena, and she will carry his and protect Darien, too. As she walked up the stairs to the shrine and knocked on Raye's door, the raven hair girl wrapped her arms around Mina's shoulders and let her silent tears spilled from those violet eyes. It seemed Raye has met Jadeite. No words needed to be exchange between the two sisters. Mina knew, Raye had chosen to walk away, too. Without the Generals remembering who they were, without access to the earth's old magic, they will remain mortals. They will eventually age, and pass on. Mina would be there, watching _him_ from a distance. Tonight, Mina has something to do.

_Magellan Castle_

Mina walked deeper into the castle where the inner chambers were. She stopped in front of a huge oak door. Delicately carved and adorned with gold, she was standing in front of Venus' most protected secrets.

The room was enormous. To anyone else, it would seem as if it was decorated by an artist who had a sudden inspirational wave. Red strings crisscrossed the walls like rose-colored spider webs, they covered the floors like a hand woven Persian carpets, and hung from the ceilings like Egyptian curtains. To Mina, every string was Fate herself. Every string has names, dates, faces, and emotions. They were the ties that bonded people together.

It didn't take long to find what she was looking for. As she touched the string, she saw herself connected to a man with many names, but his face always remains the same. She felt him. Every part of him. From the beginning of how her fortune was revealed to her in this room, to their first meetings, their discreet wedding, to the way they parted. _Some things never changed. _

_Venus looked at her reflection for one last time. She was armored for war. There was no turning back. They had both wanted the same thing, peace. But in the past year, Beryl has corrupted her people and has been campaigning that the only way for peace was by overthrowing the Lunar monarchy, that they should only be one ruling power in the world, and that was rightfully Earth's._

_There was no stopping the apocalypse. Mars' visions were never wrong. They were born for this. It has been prophesied that in the times of most dire needs, there will arise four warriors of pure blood to defend the land. It was never prophesied if they will succeed. Some saw them as angels, gods who would save their world. Some saw their birth as a bad omen of impending doom. Today, Venus felt like she was both. She would give them hope. She would lead them to their death._

_All have seen the guardians in beautiful dresses. Some has seen the scars they hide underneath them. Few had the privilege to witness the harsh trainings the Sailor Senshi undergo everyday. Even fewer knew they were of the same person. _

_Marrying Kunzite was never part of the plan. She had harbored a small hope despite her senses telling her it was impossible, that good will prevail and their kingdom will be united so they could also be. That love would win the war. Little that she knew that was part of destiny's plan to hasten their fate which has already been written for them._

_As she puts on her golden helmet, the face of Venus, guardian of Princess Serenity was obscured. She was now the legendary Sailor Venus, one of the four warriors most loyal and feared in Queen Selenity's army. The red horse hair flowing from her helmet marked her unquestionable leadership. As she joined her sisters in the front line, she did not pray that they would win the war today. She already knew they wouldn't. She prayed instead for a better future. She prayed for the happiness of Serenity and Endymion in the next life, and she prayed she would be able to protect Serenity and her friends better then. She prayed for Kunzite's happiness, that he will never have to relive this moment again._

Mina smiled sadly at the memory, and with all her might, pulled the string till it snapped.

_It is done_.

She then walked over to Raye's, Amy's and Lita's. The reincarnation of the Goddess of Love took a moment to feel them and then decided fate for her sisters, too. _It must be done._ To many she must have appeared very cruel. To few they understood that love requires sacrifice. For their happiness, they can never find each other. _They_ can never find their brother. _If they found Darien, they would find the guardians, too._ Darien would not miss what he doesn't know. _For now, this is enough_. Mina took one last look at the room, and left knowing she had made the right choice.

Somewhere in the city on this Friday night, Kevin Burkes had asked Emily Akins to marry him.

* * *

><p>Unnoticed by Mina, she wasn't alone.<p>

As her golden teleportation light dims, a man stepped out of the shadows.

Dark hair covered his gaze as he watched Mina left. His face never justified his true age. Neo King Endymion looked at the spot where Mina stood with sad eyes. She has yet to understand the magnitude of what Venus is capable of in the future, and yet there was so much Neo Sailor Venus can learn from this little Mina. In his time, Neo Sailor Venus has resumed her duties as the Goddess of Love— creating, nurturing, and cutting ties for the greater good. Yet Neo King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity have seen how lonely she was, how lonely they were. They love their guardians dearly. While he had Serena, they have watched their ancient lovers passed on from a distance. He had been mad, furious at Venus when he had found out of her doings years later, and took even longer to understand her actions. But now, everything was going to change.

Neo King Endymion walked into the room which Mina had just recently exited. Pluto was not easy to convinced, yet she had helped him to travel to this time and place. He took in the full view of the room. In the future, the room had look even more haphazard. Only Neo Sailor Venus understood the mechanisms of the strings. Right now, his job was easier. There were only four broken strings. Determined to tie them back and equipped with the knowledge of the strongest knots he learnt from little Girl Scout Rini, he reached out for the first string and embrace himself with whatever he was about to see.

_As Kunzite faced the golden armored warrior, there was only one thing on his mind. This was the last obstacle between him and a united kingdom… between him and Venus. Endy could finally be with Serenity when the Moon monarch has fallen. Serenity will no longer be a successor to a throne that does not exist, but a bride to the throne prince of Earth. He may not agree with Beryl's means at all, but she gets the job done._

_The warrior's golden armor was indented with the Emblem of the house of Venus. This was their legendary savior of the galaxy. Kunzite scoffed at the petite man and raised his sword, challenging the golden soldier. His eyes remained as cold as stone. The other man accepted the challenge without ever saying a word._

_Surprisingly, the golden warrior was almost his match, successfully blocking his attacks. On any other occasion, he would be a good sparing partner. Judging from his size, he was probably a young man. Right then, somehow Venus' words came to his mind._

"_Have you ever seen your enemy as a person?"_

_He attacked the golden warrior's sides, only to be blocked by his sword again. Curious. He has heard they possessed magic, controlling the elements at will. Then why had he chosen the sword?_

"_He's somebody's husband."_

_Hours had passed. He could see that the golden warrior was growing weary underneath the full bodied armor. Wait. Armor…_

"_Maybe even somebody's father,"_

_He used the tilt of his sword and hit the golden warrior's chin. His head tilted up from the impact._

"_and definitely somebody's son."_

_He saw the opportunity he was looking for, where the armor could not protect the petite man. He was going to end this. With a quick motion he ran the sharp edges of his sword across the golden warrior's neck. The golden warrior has fallen almost immediately. As he turned and walk away, he saw Serenity look passed him, with tears in her eyes and screamed her name. Venus. He froze. 'No, it cannot be'. But things started to make sense. The guardians had always protected Serenity. The Sailor Senshi is protecting Serenity now. Four of them…it made sense, yet made no sense at all. _

_Kunzite turned back. He knelt beside the now stilled golden warrior, and removed the helmet. Golden hair spilled out, immediately soaking up blood that was pouring from her neck. No one ever said their savior was a man. 'No…no…' He could not think, he could not feel. All he could do was stare at the tear-stained face, pouring down from those beautiful blue eyes. _

_She was fighting him, and she was crying all along. _

_In the end, he was Beryl's pawn. He has killed the daughter of Venus, the wife to the Great Fourth General of Earth, and a woman who may someday be the mother to his child. Right then, he welcomed the scream of the Silent Grave as Sailor Saturn swung her staff._

Neo King Endymion opened his eyes.

He did not like the fact that Kevin has no memory of the past at all.

Though it meant he would be remembering a broken childhood, the wars, the bloodshed he has seen, and Beryl, it also meant he would be remembering Endymion, the band of brothers who would die for each other, and an ancient love. It meant those countless sleepless nights will be there, but they will be there for him._ Kunzite would have wanted it_. If this is what it takes for him to be happy, so be it.

_Kunzite would have wanted redemption._ He carefully knotted the strings Mina had pulled apart earlier. He felt them. He missed them. And he knew it won't be long till he saw them again. Neo King Endymion left the room without turning back, knowing he had made the right choice.

* * *

><p><em><span>Saturday afternoon<span>_

Kevin was frustrated to say the least. His brothers called it cold feet. He was not fickle minded. In fact, he was always sure of himself. He was not a man to commit himself to something he would not be serious about, and he definitely loves her, doesn't he? Yesterday, he had felt as if it was the right thing to do. Today, he wasn't sure anymore.

He's been having a bad week to start with. Nothing has been going the way he would have wanted it. First, his building design has just been rejected, demanding him to re-sketch the whole thing. Then, his baby sister has been staying with him for the week, demanding 'girl talk' about her recent break up with a guy he didn't approved of to begin with. _That was good riddance_. Then he had run into some university student and probably had ruined her shirt and her day. He didn't even have the chance to make up for it. Now, he had popped the big question last night over dinner. When Emily said yes, he had hoped it would be the end of his strings of foul luck. He could not be any more mistaken.

He was now in hunt for the perfect ring. Her friends had refused to help him, having over-romanticized delusions on how picking up the right ring on his own was a way to show how much he understood Emily. The entire morning shopping for a fucking wedding ring had got him thinking.

He was always drawn to blond women with blue eyes. In fact, all his ex girlfriends fell into that stereotype. It was a well known joke among his brothers. They had even given him Barbie dolls for his birthdays on more than one occasion. Luckily, there was a baby sister who adores them, and he had happily given away those plastic dolls. _Recently birthday Barbie has been replaced with live-sized blond pole dancers. _Emily was no different. She was beautiful, blond with those brilliant blue eyes. She was perfect, perfect in every way, _but still…_ he couldn't point out what was wrong.

_Ever feel like someone out there is just waiting for you to find her? And when you do you just know she's the one?_

He was having a talk with his baby sister few days ago, _more like being forced to,_ and she has asked him that. He felt the question hit him at the core. But he joked about it instead.

'_Is she a blond with blue eyes, too?' _Miss Burkes had rolled her eyes_._

And then there's the hair. _Everyone has a part of their body that bothers them_. He had always felt strange when women touched his hair, including Emily. He has always felt compelled to color them darker. His natural pale silver made him feel old. But when _other women_ run their fingers through his hair, he felt… he felt like he was…_looking into someone else's eyes_. _It doesn't even make sense. _He had kept his hair shaved or cropped as short as possible most of the time to solve that problem.

Again, his eyes focused on the rings laid out on a tray in front of him. He picked up several, the design was simple yet beautiful and embedded with a pink stone, and hesitantly put them back. _Diamonds, you idiot. Diamonds._ _You're a fucking millionaire and yet you're choosing some semi precious stone as a wedding ring. Great job, Kevin. Idiot._ Then he heard himself argued back. _But what if she was the type who loves simple jewelry instead of a I'm-making-a-statement diamond ring?_

Kevin sighs. Enough was enough. When he starts having conversations with himself, it meant that he needed a break. Maybe he should do this some other day. He would drag his baby sister along. Right now, he needed coffee. He walked into Starbucks, queued up for his coffee, and ordered extra black.

"Look out!"

Kevin Burkes took glorious sips of his coffee, smacked his lips with satisfaction, turned around and poured the remaining content onto a man's hospital scrubs. _Fuck._

Darien was not happy. He had just spent 36 hours of sleepless night in the hospital's emergency room, attending to accidents and drunkards that peaked on Friday nights. Today's early morning talk show decided to discuss if the Sailor Scouts were the savior of men or double trouble. It seemed that some remain believing that they were always there to safe the day, others believed that it was trouble that followed them wherever they went. Serena had called 15 minutes ago to _inform_ him that she had overspend his credit card while shopping with Mina today. Now, he was fucking drenched in someone's fucking coffee while queuing up in fucking Starbucks.

"Are you alright?"

As he looked up from his scrubs, to the offending stranger who had decided to turn and walk at the same time IN A QUEUE, he was stunt, dumbfounded and silenced. _A stranger… _no. He may not know his name now, or may have heard his low, toned, soothing voice for the first time in this life, but he would have recognized this face regardless of any lifetime.

_Kunzite._

His strong handsome features remain unchanged. He was everything as he had remembered. He no longer wears his soft silver hair long. It was now crop short, as what men in the military would have. He was frowning, his grey eyes genuinely showing concern.

"I deeply apologize. I wasn't looking." He sighed and he paused for a moment, as if to study the extent of the damage he has done to Darien's scrubs. "I'm Kevin Burkes. Can I at least replace your coffee?"

Darien's heart stopped. Here and then, he could rewrite their story. They could have a new start over coffee. Never in his dreams would he think they would be given a second chance at meeting. He could also choose to walk away, and Kunzite forever slumbers. "I can use some coffee and even a free meal in compensation for the scrubs. If you feel guilty enough, you could even extend meal offers for dinner since my wife has just declared me bankrupt for the month. "

Kevin was smiling and was saying something about second time in the same week. _Kunzite has never smiled like that_. He bought them fresh coffee that afternoon and made new acquaintances with Darien Shields.

Darien was glad he didn't walk away. It was very uncharacteristic of him to ask for a free meal. It was very uncharacteristic for Kunzite to be so disconcerted. But no one could have acted normal when fate throws you surprises at your face.

He can't wait till Mina hears about this. She would be _thrilled_.


End file.
